and in about five
seconds more landed right among them, and they saw he was scared.

"Oh," he gasped, "we are all lost! The biggest bird in the world is
coming to devour us! I saw it--it is making that terrible noise! It is
as big as Mr. Man's house! It is as big as his yard! It is as big as the
Big Deep Woods!"

And just then a great black shadow, like the shadow of a cloud, came
right over them, and that noise got so loud it drowned everything, and
when they looked--for they were too scared to run--sure enough, right
above them was the biggest bird in the world--a thousand times bigger
than Mr. Crow, of stranger shape than anything they had ever seen, and
very terrible indeed. But all at once Mr. Dog gave a quick bark, which
made them all jump--especially the bride--and shouted:

"It's all right--it's all right! I know what it is. I see a Mr. Man up
there. It's a flying-machine; it's only passing over, and won't hurt us
at all!"

And sure enough all the rest could see a Mr. Man up there, too, then;
and Mr. Dog went on to tell them how he had seen some pictures of just
such a machine in one of Mr. Man's picture papers, and that it was the
great new invention by which Mr. Man could go around in the air like a
bird, though probably not so well as Mr. and Mrs. Robin and Mr. Crow,
and certainly with a good deal more noise.

Then the Deep Woods people were not afraid any more, and watched the
flying-machine as long as they could see it, and when it was quite out
of sight Mr. Rabbit made a little speech in which he said that if
anything had been needed to make his grand wedding complete it was to
have a performance given for it by Mr. Man, even though Mr. Man might
not realize that he was entertaining a wedding. And everybody said,
"Yes, yes, that's so," and that this was the greatest day in the Big
Deep Woods, which I believe it really was.

Then they all formed a procession and marched to Jack Rabbit's house, to
take home the bride and groom. As they marched they sang the Hollow Tree
song, ending with the chorus:

"Then here's to the friends of the Big Deep Woods,
And to theirs, wherever they be,
And here's to the Hollow, Hollow, Hollow, Hollow, Hollow,
And here's to the Hollow Tree."

THE END

FOOTNOTES:

[2] "How Mr. Dog Got Even." _The Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book._

[3] "Mr. Dog Takes Lessons in Dancing," in _The Hollow Tree and Deep
Woods Book_.